The grey dagger (Acronicta psi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae.
Distribution This species can be found from EuropeFauna europaea and North Africa to northern Iran, central Asia, southern and central Siberia and Mongolia. In the Levant it is found in Lebanon and Israel.
Habitat These moths mainly inhabit deciduous forests, hedgerows, parks and gardens, at an elevation up to above sea level.UK Safari
Description Acronicta psi has a wingspan of .UK Moths These moths have grey forewings with bold black dagger-shaped markings. (The Latin specific name also refers to these markings, as resembling the Greek letter , .) The hindwings are dirty grey, generally paler in the male.
The moth is very similar to the dark dagger (Acronicta tridens) and identification is generally only possible by minute examination of the genitalia. See Townsend et al.Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation. However, in general this moth is generally darker in colour than the dark dagger and always lacks the white hindwings often present in the male of that species. Moreover, the larvae of the two species are very different.
The larva of Acronicta psi is quite hairy, greyish or brownish below and black above, with red spots along the sides and a bold yellow stripe along the back. It has a distinctive horn just behind the head (absent from the larva of dark dagger).
Biology The grey dagger flies at night from June to August and is attracted to light and sometimes to sugar.
It feeds on a wide range of plants, mainly trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.
Food plants Recorded food plants include:
Acer platanoides – Norway maple Aegopodium podagraria – ground-elder Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana – alder Amelanchier spicata Betula verrucosa, Betula pubescens – birch Corylus avellana – hazel Cotoneaster Crataegus oxyacantha, Crataegus coccinea – hawthorn Hedlundia hybrida (formerly Sorbus hybrida, and S. fennica) Malus domestica – apple Photinia – red robin Populus tremula, Populus suaveolens – poplar spp. Prunus domestica, Prunus cerasus, Prunus avium, Prunus padus Pyrus communis – pear Quercus robur – oak Rosa – rose Rubus idaeus – bramble Salix caprea, Salix phylicifolia – willow Sorbus aucuparia; Sorbus intermedia; Hedlundia hybrida (formerly Sorbus hybrida, and S. fennica) Spiraea salicifolia Tilia – lime Ulmus glabra – elm
Gallery
Notes
References
Bibliography Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991) Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
External links
Lepiforum.de Paolo Mazzei, Diego Reggianti, Ilaria Pimpinelli Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa Svenska fjärila